I have heard numerous stories ending with "and then they prayed to receive Christ," which is always followed by lots of clapping. I've heard about people praying to receive Christ from others, but I have never been there. I've always wished that I was though. To see someone move from death to life, how amazing that must be. That is perhaps the sweetest ending to any story, knowing that people that previously had a heart of stone now have a heart of flesh and are now going to spend an eternity with God.
I was privileged enough to see two people pray to receive Christ yesterday, as we walked around the neighborhood talking to people. Literally every person we passed, whether they were a child or an adult hard at work, we stopped and talked with them.
We met a boy named Nelson, who was 12 years old. He explained that he knew who Jesus was and what He had done, but it was head knowledge that hadn't affected his heart yet.
My direct personal interaction with him was minimal, like my Spanish, but I was able to pray for him and his heart as the conversation occurred. The Lord used our Pastor that we are living with and one of my team mates who knows Spanish to glorify Himself by having this conversation to draw this boy near and win over his heart. My team mate, Jessica, told me after that he said that he wanted to be in heaven with Jesus and seemed really genuine, which served as an encouragement to me.
As we continued down the rocky dirt road, there were 4 men cutting the grass and when I say cutting, I really mean swinging at it with a machete; that's normal here. We began talking to one named Jose Miguel and after a while another came over and stood near us and a little while later a third guy came over. I missed a lot of the conversation due to my poor ability to comprehend Spanish, but was able to pick out a few words here and there. However, I mainly spent my time praying for the three men. Before I knew it Pastor Victor began to pray for Jose Miguel and then introduced him as our new brother in Christ.
I was surprised. I wasn't surprised that people would want to accept Jesus as their Savior, but that it happened so quickly. It caused my mind to doubt.
Later 1 Corinthians 3:6 came to mind. It states "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow." It was a good reminder for me that it is God who does the growing. I can pray and actively share my faith to plant and water seeds, but it is ultimately the Lord who is in control. Praise the Lord for that!! Recognizing that takes the pressure off me and reminds me that He is sovereign.
Please pray that these decisions to follow Christ would be life changing and that they would fully trust Jesus with their all aspects of their lives!
